Locker



w. N. VANCE LOCKER Filed Aug. 20 1919 2 Sheets-Sheet l W. N. VANCE LOCKER Filed Aug. 20 1919 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec. 2, 1924.

if Nil WALTER N. VANCE, OF CHICAGO I-ILElIGHTS, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO DURAND STEEL LOCKER COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

LOCKER.

Application filed August 20, 1919. Serial No. 318,692.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, VJALTEn it. Wilson, a

, citizen of the United States, residing in Chicago Heights, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new-and useful Improvement in Lockers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates in general to lockers and has more particular reference to sheet metal lockers wherein the door is hinged at one side of a door frame and is adapted toclose over against and lockv to the opposite side.

A principal object of the invention is the provision of a locker of new and improved construction wherein the door may be latched to a single side of the frame and thiswithout danger of the door frame and door springing apart when in latched position or being readily forced apart by unauthorized persons attempting to open the locker. s

Another important object of, the invention is the provision of a locker wherein the door when closed and latched will have the parts positively and tightly held in interengagement with each other tl1ereby preventing rattling of the parts and adding greatly to their strength in resisting forcing the latching device in attempting to open the locker.

Another important object of the invention is the provision of a sheet metal locker having a door operating and latching mechanism, the parts of which may be easily assembled and thereafter readily removed for replacement or repairs should the necessity arise and this without requiring the shearing of rivets or the deformation or destruction of any of the parts.

.rinother object of. the invention is the provision of a lockerrequiring the formation of relatively f6\Y]I)8.1'iQS in the provision of the latching device. v

Another important object of the invention is the provisionof a locker which may be made of relatively light material and have all of the strength and rigidity of construction required.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a locker possessing these and other advantages, which will be cheap to construct and of pleasing appearance and without complicated parts likely to require 1 frequent repair or replacement;

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as it is better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing illustrating a preferred embodiment thereof. n the drawing,

Figure 1. is a partial front elevation of a locker embodying my present invention;

Fig. 2 is a partial vertical View showing the rear of the latching connection disclosed in Fig. l; i

Fig. 8 is a section taken the line 33 of Fig. 1 I

Figs. t and are enlarged sections taken respectively on the lines 4l-4: and 5-5 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a perspective detail view of the keeper for the manipulating device; and

1 'ig.'7 isa section taken substantially on the line 77 of Fig. 3.

For the purpose of illustrating my invention I have shown on the drawing a locker comprising a door frame 11 in which a door substantially on '12 is hinged along an edgeas indicated at 13. This door is provided at the hinged edge with a flange 14: extending inwardly and then over and behind the door frame. At its top'and bottom it is provided with projecting flanges 15 forv engaging the top and bottom of said door frame. At its free edge, i. e. the edge swinging to and from the door frame, the door is provided with an inwardly extending flange 16. Slots are made at intervals along the length of the door to set off parts 17 and when the flange is bent as'on the line 18 these parts are left protruding and engage the door frame when the door is closed to act as stops. lhe pro vision of these parts 17 leaves recesses or openmgs 19 through the flange 16 and through these openings are arranged latch-- ing lugs 2.1 adapted to engage back of the door frame will be presently described to lock. the door in closed position. The lugs 21 are formed by slitting and bending out proper portions of a latch bar or strap 22 arranged parallel to and just back of the flange 16.

The latch bar is manipulated by a manipulating device or handle 23 disposed on the outside of the door and having a lug 2 lentering through a slot in the door and bolted or otherwise secured at 25 to the latch bar, the other end of the manipulating device being provided with a tail 26 which is disposed within a keeper 27. This keeper is formed of a strap of material having end lugs 28 disposed through a slot in the door and bent as indicated in Fig. 6. Between the end lugs 28 at each side the material of the body keeper is bulged outwardly at 29 to engage on the outside of the door and co-opdoor it is. only necessary to lift the latch bar and close the doors passing the lugs through the recesses and disposing them behind the door frame by lowering the latch bar until the lugs have passed beneath the recesses. The recesses 32 may have any preferred form so far as the mere co-operation with the latch lugs 21 is concerned. I-use one or more of these recesses, however, as parts of a dovetail connection to be presently described, these recesses being indicated at 33. Upon the door is provided a lug or projection 34 formed on the end of a member 35 riveted at 36 to the door. The

, member 35 extends through the centermostrecess 19 and lies flat against this part 11 and also against a part 37 which is pressed up *therebehind. When the .ClOOr closes the latching lug 21 passes first through the recess 33 and then may be lowered down to locked position. As the door arrivesv at completely closed position the dovetailed shoulder 84: enters into'recess 33, which being of dovetail form provides shoulders to be engaged by the shoulders 21 to prevent springing of the door frame away from the door. Of course this arrangement may be provided at any point intermediate the ends.

The flange 16 is provided at intervals with depressions 38 and with depressions 39 which form elongated ribs to]: strengthening the parts of the door flange which are weakened by the opening and said depressions 3S and'39 actingto retain the latch bar away from too great'frictional contact with the flange and a similar arrangement is provided at41 beneath the tail of the: manipulating device. Theends of the latch bar are rigidly held in position by inwardly extending depressions 42 back of such projections 17 as are not located adjacent dovetailed projections as 3 1. A second depression a3 is-also provided at the same location to space the latch bar from too close contact with the inner face of the door and to aid in steadying it. It will be noted that the outer edges M of the parts 17 which are cut out of flange 16 are inclined slightly leaving like inclinations at the edges 45 of the recesses through which the locking lugs or projections extend. This inclination draws the lugs closely against the side of the frame and wedges them tightly in place upon arriving at latched position.

The tail of the rivet 36 is disposed close against the inner face of the latch bar and acts at this point in the manner of the depressions 42. The latch bar is thus held firmly in desired position by the depressions 4.3 against movement toward and from the flange 16 by the ribs 39, depressions 42 and tail 16 of rivet 36. It is also held tightly in position by the wedging action in the open ing in the flange through which it passes,

all of which parts tend to reinforce the construction and permit the use of lighter material wlthout sacrifice of rigldlty.

It will be manifest that the handle may 1 be disconnected from the latch bar and the latch bar then lifted out of position. This permits of the replacement or repair of any of the latching parts without the shearing of rivets or the deformation or destruction of any of the parts of the door or other latching device.

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantages-will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

I claim:

1. A locker, comprising in combination. a door frame having a recess intermediate its ends, a slidable latching bar carried by the door and formed with set off lugs movable first through said recess and then into looking position, and fixed means carried by the door for engaging in said recess to prevent separation of the door and frame.

2. A locker, comprising in combination a door frame having a shoulder providing recesses in the side against which a door closes, a door mounted in said door frame and having a slidable latching bar formed with setotl' lugs passing through said recess and then into locking position, and a lixod shoulder providing projection carried by the door and for engaging in said recess to prevent separation of the frame and door when looked. a

3. A locker comprising a door frame, a door hinged therein. and closing thereagainst, a latching bar carried by the door too and consisting of a metal strip cut and bent to provlde set off lugs for engaging the door frame. i

4. A locker comprising a door frame, av

door hinged therein and closing thereagainst, and having an inwardly extending flange at its side, a metal strip latch bar slidable in parallelism with the flange, and cut and bent to provide a plurality of outwardly set off lugs for engaging the door frame.

5. A locker comprising in combination a door frame, a door hinged therein and closing thereagainst, and having an inwardly extending perforated flange, a sheet metal latching strip located behind the flange and having lugs extending through the perforations for engagement with the door frame.

6. A locker comprising a door frame, a door closing thereagainst, a sheet metal latching strip arranged at right angles 001 the plane of the door and having latching integral elements extending at right angles with respect to said strip.

7. A locker comprising a door frame, a door adapted to close thereagainst, a latch strip carried by said door and engaging said door frame, a side of said latch strip being cut into and the material thus separated bent to provide latching lugs.

8. A locker comprising a door frame, a door hinged therein and having its free edge inturned to form a flange extending into the frame when the door is closed, and projections forming continnations of the body and providing recesses therebehind to facilitate latching the door.

9. A locker, comprising in combination a door frame, a door hinged therein and having its free edge inturned to form a flange extending within the frame when the door is closed, and projections forming continuations of the body of the door for closing against the frame at the free edge.

10. A locker, comprising in combination a door frame, a door hinged therein and having an inwardly extending flange at its free edge, said flange having openings therethrough, a latching device extending through said openings and engaging said door frame, the edges of the material about said opening serving to hold said latching device tightly against said door frame.

11. A locker, comprising in combination a door frame, a door hinged therein and having an inwardly extending flange at its free edge, said flange having openings therethrough, latching device extending through said openings and engaging said door frame, the edges of the material about said opening being inclined to wedge said latching device against said door frame.

12. A locker, comprising in combination a door frame having a recess at its side for permitting a latching device to pass therethroiigh, a door carrying a latching device located appropriately with respect to said recess, the body of the door being inwardly flan ed and the flanged portion thereof being cut away to provide a recess through which a part of said latching device may extend and to form an integral body part; extending past said recess to cover the same when the door is closed.

13. A locker, comprising in combination a door frame, a door hinged in said frame, said door being constructed of sheet metal and having a portion set off by a slit adja cent its free edge, the material of the edge being bent to form an inwardly extending flange to enter within the door frame, and leaving the portion set off extending to form a stop for engaging the door frame.

14:. A locker, comprising in combination a door frame, a door hinged therein and having a flange provided with an opening at its free edge, a latching device disposed behind said flange with the latching part extending through said opening, the material of the body of the door being depressed behind said latching device to aid in confining it closely adjacent said flange. '7

15. A locker, comprising in combination a door frame, a door hinged therein and havinga flange provided with an opening at its free edge, a latching device disposed behind said flange with the latching part extending through said opening, the material of the body of the door being depressed to space said latching device inwardly from the body of the door.

16. A locker, comprising in combination a door frame, a door hinged therein and having a flange provided with an opening at its free edge, a latching device disposed behind said flange with the latching part extending through said opening, the material of the body of the door being given a plurality of depressions, one for spacing the latching device in from the body of the door and the other for retaining it closely adjacent said flange.

17. A locker, comprising in combination a door frame, a door hinged tl'ie're-in, a latching device carried by said door frame, the material of wardly opposite said latching device to space the same from the body of the door.

1.8. locker, coi'nprising a door frame, a door hinged therein, alz'itching device carried by the door, the material of the door being depressed inwardly behind said latching device to aid in retaining said latching device adjacent said door frame when said latching device is in proper position.

19. A locker, comprising a door frame, a

door hinged therein and having an inwardly extending flange at its free edge, a latching devlce shdable behind sald flange and havthe door being depressed ining a latching device extending therethrongh, the material of the body of the door and the material of the flange being depressed to retain said latching device in proper position.

20. A locker, comprising in combination a doorfranie, a door having an inwardly extending flange, a latching device movable behind the $211118 and having a latching part, the material of the flange being depressed to provide an elongated narrow projection for engagement by the latching device to prevent extended frictional contact between the flange and latching device.

WALTER N. VANCE. 

